Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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132. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the current ranking of Ireland on the Digital Economy and Society Index; the plans to improve Ireland’s position on the index, with particular reference to comparison with EU counterparts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13230/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Digital Economy and Society Index Report (DESI) is a composite index that summarises five relevant indicators (Connectivity, Human Capital, Use of Internet Services, Integration of digital technology by businesses, Digital public services) on Europe’s digital performance and tracks the evolution of EU member states in digital competitiveness.

Ireland is now ranked in 6^thplace, an improved performance on the 2019 index. Over the last five years, Ireland has made continuous improvements in these rankings.

Ireland continues to rank first in the Integration of Digital Technology dimension and has maintained a leading position in the use of e-Commerce by SMEs. It entered the top 10 on the use of Internet by individuals and recorded a notable increase in the share of internet users. It maintained its top 10 position in Digital Public Services, where it excels in open data and the provision of digital public services for businesses. Digital transformation continues to be a core policy priority.

An area where Ireland shows scope for improvement is in the Connectivity dimension, we are currently 23^rdon the index, with Denmark, Sweden and Luxembourg leading the pack with the highest scores. It is anticipated that the roll out of the National Broadband Plan will improve our position on this dimension going forward.